1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that changes capturing conditions by remotely controlling, from a control apparatus, an image capturing apparatus connected to the control apparatus, and a control method for the information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent advances in the digitalization of image capturing apparatuses, electronic image capturing devices capable of obtaining captured images as digital data, for example, digital cameras and digital video cameras, have become popular. These electronic image capturing devices have their features in that they are connected to external devices such as personal computers (PCs) and portable terminals, can transfer data to the external devices, and can be remotely controlled from the external devices. For this reason, among professional users, image capturing based on remote control has gained popularity. Such image capturing includes, for example, controlling an image capturing apparatus installed in a place where the user cannot enter and checking images on the large screen of an external device while performing image capturing using the image capturing apparatus.
In addition, an increasing number of digital single-lens reflex cameras are equipped with a live view function which allows to check an object on a liquid crystal monitor. This has diversified image capturing methods based on remote control, which include, for example, a method of performing still image capturing or moving image capturing while making an external device display a live view image displayed by the live view function and checking the image in real time.
In practice, an image capturing apparatus such as a digital camera is connected to a PC via a cable, and the user performs image capturing by using a remote control application installed in the PC. In this case, the user can also change capturing conditions by remote control. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-135594 discloses a technique of implementing white balance adjustment manually from a control apparatus by sending the positional information of the position designated with a pointing device of the control apparatus to an image capturing apparatus and making the image capturing apparatus calculate a white balance coefficient. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-086031 has proposed an arrangement in which when a correction area subjected to white balance correction (or black balance correction) is designated for an observed image captured by a microscopic image capturing apparatus, it is determined whether the designated correction area is proper. In this case, if it is determined that an erroneous correction area is designated, this arrangement uses a correction value stored in advance in a correction determination unit or displays a predetermined message.
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-135594 described above makes the control apparatus display the live view image obtained by the image capturing apparatus and designates white point to allow the user to manually perform white balance adjustment while seeing the image. The user therefore acquires the coordinate points for the designation of white points from live view images which sequentially change, and hence a timing offset occurs between an image and white point designation. Correct white balance information cannot therefore be always acquired.
When, for example, the user designates a white color area with a white color designation icon 410 in FIG. 5A, the displayed image switches to the image displayed in FIG. 5B at the instant when the user designates the area. As a consequence, a portion unintended by the user may be designated. Applying such improper white balance information may obtain a white balance application result unintended by the user. There has been no way to recognize the application of improper white balance information.
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-086031 is for one still image after image capturing, and hence does not allow to correctly determine the properness of calculated white balance information even when being applied to a live view image having a moving object. Even if this technique is applied to a live view image, white balance correction to be automatically executed when it is determined that white balance correction is designated by improper white point designation uses a correction value for one still image. For this reason, it is not necessarily possible to obtain a white balance correction result suitable for a live view.